Ant-trap.



C. R. MILLER.

ANT TRAP.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 7, 1909.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

WWZUZZ/ZZW CHARLES R. MILLER, OF WHITESBORO, TEXAS.

ANT-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1909.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910. Serial No. 506,354.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whitesboro, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Ant-Trap, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ant-traps of that eneral class in which oppositely turned fmsto-conical shells are employed to form a trap or receptacle that will retain ants precipitated therein from the oppositely inclined terminal flanges carried by the conical shells.

The object of this invention is to gener ally improve and simplify an ant-trap of this character by the provision of a removable ant-tight bottom which is normally held securely locked to the outer member of the trap but which may be easily and quickly removed therefrom for the purpose of removing the contents of the trap.

With the above advantage and other objects in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, my invention embraces the novel details of construction and combination of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing described in the following specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ant-trap constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

In a more detailed description of my invention in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the View shown, A designates the outer member of the anttrap, and B the inner member of the anttrap. The outer member A is substantiall frusto-conical in facial contour and is preferably painted or otherwise ornamented on its outer surface to give a neat and finished appearance to the article and to provide a roughened surface upon which the ants may egsifiy mount to the top edges of the conical s e Disposed on the top ed es of the outer shell is an inwardly and ownwardly projecting flange 2, which is inclined at a greater angle than the shell and is preferably made smooth in order to precipitate the ants returning to the ant hill and climbing up the roughened outer surface of the shell and over the top edges thereof, into the trap or receptacle below.

The inner member B is substantially a frusto-eonical shell of less diameter than the outer member and is held in inverted relation to the latter, as shown.

Positioned on the upper edges of the inner member is a downwardly inclined flange 3 which is inclined at a greater angle-than the shell of the inner member so that ants leaving the ant-hill and crawling up the painted or otherwise roughened surface of the inner shell will slide down the smooth and steep surface of the flange into the receptacle or tra formed between the outer and inner mem ers.

Suitably secured to the lower edges of the inner member is an annular plate constituting a base plate 4 which is suflicient in size to form a closure or bottom for the outer member. An annular opening is formed at the center of the base plate communicating with the interior of the inner member through which opening the ants within the ant-hill find ready access to the roughened inner walls of the inner member.

In order to secure the bottom of the receptacle to the outer member so that the ants confined in the trap will not be able to escape when once entrapped, a flange 5 is turned up from the peripheral edge of the base plate which is adapted to smoothly engage a downwardly projecting flange 6 suitably secured to the inner walls of the outer member adjacent the bottom.

The flanges 5 and 6 when in engagement form an ant-tight joint between the inner and outer members which will have sufficient rigidity to withstand any strain that may be put upon the parts.

Formed in the lower edge of the outer member is a plurality of marginal slots 7, the top edges of which are flush with the bottom of the base plate 4 when the parts are assembled.

Hinged to the outer surface of the outer member at 8 are a plurality of hooks 9, the clamping portions 10 of which are adapted to project through the slots 7 and bear against the bottom surface of the base plate to hold the lip-turned flange thereof in en gagement with the vertical flange of the outer member.

The hooks 9 reinforce the bottom or base plate of the trap when in operative position and prevent the disengagement of the parts until they are released and swung outward by the operating. It is intended to form the hooks of spring material so that they will spring over the upper ends of the slots 7 into engagement with the under surface of the base plate.

It Will be noted inner shell projectsslightly through the base plate, the object of this construction being to bring the loWer edges of the inner member flush with the lower edges of the outer member in order that the inner member may set evenly incontact With the ground: adjacent the sides of the opening in the ant-hill. The advantage of this construction is that the ants Within the hill Will be guided directly up the inclined Walls of theinner member With no alternate path leading-underneath the base plate tothe bottom edges of the outer member as in the usual form'of ant-traps.

From the above description taken in con.- nection With the accompanying drawing it is thought that the construction and opera.- tion of my invention may be easily understood Without a more extended.- explanation, it being understood that various changes in the, form, proportion and minor details of construction may be made Without sacrificing any of the advantages or departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. An. ant trap having a. frusto-conical outer member, an inverted frusto-oonica1 inner member, a. base having its peripheral edges in contact with the inner Walls of the that the end of the conical outer member and having an orifice to receive the lower portion of the inner member and means for detachably securing the base to the outer member.

2. In an ant-trap, a frusto conical outer member having a plurality of openings formed in its bottom edge, an inverted f'rusto conical inner member having a base plate adapted to form a closure for the bottom opening of said outer member, and hooks hinged to the outer Walls of said outer memher and engageable through said openings with: the bottom surface of said base plate.

3. In an anttrap, a frusto conical outer member having a plurality of marginal slots formed on its loWer edge, an inverted frusto conical inner member having abase plate adapted to form a closure for the bottom opening of said outer member, a down- Wardly projecting ring secured tov the inner Walls of said outer member, an upturned flange positioned on. theperipheral edge of said base plate for engagement With said ring, and hooks hinged to the outer surface of said outer member and engageable through said slots WitlLt-llfi under surface of said base plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signa ture in the presence of' tWo Witnesses.

CHARLES R. MILLER.

WVitnesses:

J. M. BUCHANAN, R. N. GARRUGAN. 

